Friday, 8 November 2013

Battlefield 4: Multiplayer - Final Round Review

Battlefield 4 is one of the top dogs for online
multiplayer. Not wanting to change the
formula for their successful shooter, DICE have decided to put a major emphasis
on altering maps rather than gameplay, keeping the game from becoming
repetitive and stale; the most essential thing for a regular releasing title to
be weary of.

First and foremost, multiplayer bugs. There have been a lot of reports of random
and strange bugs occurring during matches, such as: a certain silencer used
will mute the entire battle including the other team! I am yet to encounter anything noteworthy
(though being told I have ranked up so many times in a row can be annoying),
but they are present and will hopefully be patched out soon.

The core gameplay remains the same, with a few tweaks and
changes that make the game slightly more accessible for newer players, allowing
those who are late to the game a fair chance to fight back. The starting equipment is much better this
time round, but you will still be itching to get your hands on some new
equipment, fast, to customise your weapons to better complement your soldiering
style. With a greater selection of
weapons and equipment, there is bound to be something that suits your needs.

Using cover and going prone is a reliable move in
multiplayer, granted it won’t last long if stay still (destructible cover duh!)
but ducking and diving actually helps you stay alive, it also helps curb the
simple run-and-gun mentality many multiplayer shooters promote. Another high point, for me as a player, is the
range at which combat can take place; regularly alternating from short, medium
and long distance combat is a pleasant occurrence, leaving assholes with
nothing but a knife and a pistol out of luck.
An added bonus is that the only reliable way to kill someone with a
knife is via back stabbing, if you run head first at an enemy they have a
chance to counter.

Taking your time getting familiar with the maps does not
mean you are a dead weight to your team, spotting enemies gives your team mates
a heads up on location and is more helpful than expected. I took my time getting into Battlefield 4 by
playing recon, sitting high on a tower or building, taking pot shots at people
and spotting anything that moved; I was only getting a few kills per match but
I felt like I was contributing to the team, not holding them back.

The game modes available cover all the important gameplay
types (and no doubt more will appear as DLC), ranging from larger scale warfare
with tanks, jets and helicopters to the much tighter spaced and fast paced
Death Matches. My personal favourite is
Squad Death Match, which pits you and your squad against three other squads all
battling each other to be the first to reach 50 kills; it is more structured
than a free-for-all match, but can be much more hectic. Each game mode has specifically sized map,
infantry combat is localised to the inside of a building or on the rooftops of
a town, while Conquest opens the maps up to accommodate for vehicles.

DICE put a lot of emphasis on its unique “Levelution” maps
that alter the match both visually and tactically. These Levelutuions are either a timed event or
triggered by the players; some will flood the ground level of a map, bring a
huge storm over the islands or, most famously, destroy an entire skyscraper
which wipes out almost everything around it. The effects can be helpful, driving players
into smaller locations or giving your helicopter more manoeuvrability than the
unfortunate lot stuck on jet skis with a storm knocking them around. These dynamic maps are a great addition to an
already solid competitive first person shooter, adding a much need angle on a
tried and true formula. DICE has not
revolutionised multiplayer just yet, but I can tell the idea is here to stay,
and these maps are just so damn fun.

Being a multiplayer game, I feel it is necessary to
mention the community. During my
extensive time with Battlefield 4 I have met with a large number of pleasant and
positive players, and only on occasion have I heard someone acting like an 11
year old. It is impossible to escape the
jerks and assholes entirely, but I have to say that I have had a very positive
time playing online with the Battlefield Community.